December 18, 2025 — Here’s the latest news from the Jesuits in Canada and the United States.
Relic Tour Concludes in Eastern Canada
The tour of the relics St. Saint Kateri Tekakwitha and the Canadian Martyrs concluded after stops in eastern Canada throughout the fall, including Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. Fr. Edmund Lo, SJ (above, far left) and Fr. John O’Brien, SJ (above, far right), traveled with the relics and are pictured above at a stop in the chapel at St. Bonaventure’s College in St. John’s, Newfoundland.
Fr. Bill Browne, SJ, 97, went to see the relics when they were presented at Divine Mercy Parish in St. John’s. Fr. Browne was at the Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, Ontario, when St. Jean de Brébeuf’s grave was found in 1954. When he arrived at Divine Mercy, Archbishop Joseph Hundt exclaimed, “Look it’s the patriarch of the Newfoundland Jesuits!”
Milestones
A Jesuit Centenarian
Fr. Cornelius M. Buckley, SJ, of Jesuits West, turned 100 on November 2, 2025. He recently wrote his latest book at age 99.
When asked for the secret of his longevity, Fr. Buckley wryly said, “It’s not my fault.” He added, “It is a wonderful gift, and I thank God for it. I was just put in the right situation, at the right time. I’ve been very fortunate, blessed, you could call it one way, lucky you can call it another way, and you just take advantage of it. I’m not going to take it easy. I’m going to do what I can do.” Read more.
Honoring Jesuit Jubilarians
The Boston College Jesuit Community recently honored six of their own, who combined have given more than two centuries of priestly service to God’s people. Pictured above are Fr. Charlie Gallagher, SJ (25 years in the Society); Fr. Jim Hayes, SJ (50 years in the Society); Fr. Jack Butler, SJ (25 years of priesthood); Fr. Giampiero Basile, SJ (25 years of priesthood); Fr. Paul McNelis, SJ (60 years in the Society); and Fr. Jim Bernauer, SJ (50 years of priesthood).
On November 15, Fr. Tom Greene, SJ, provincial of the USA Jesuits Central and Southern Province, presided at a Mass honoring their jubilarians in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs at Jesuit High School in New Orleans. Jesuit Fathers Patrick Hough and Aaron Pidel also professed final vows at the Mass.
A Jesuit’s Dual Vocation
Will Hayes, SJ, was recently featured in a piece by his law school, St. Mary’s University. Hayes earned his law degree in 2022 and entered the Society of Jesus that same year. “I love the idea of being in the courtroom, and then doing things, such as celebrating Mass, preaching and working with people on a spiritual level,” he said.
“I know people can see me as a Jesuit and think, ‘He’s this holy guy,’ but I’m just a regular person who wants to roll up my sleeves, work and empower others,” Hayes said. “I’m passionate about international law and about helping the marginalized.” Read more.
Awards
Fr. Michael Davidson, SJ, director of the Boston College Montserrat Coalition Program, received the Bishop James Augustine Healy Award, presented by the Archdiocese of Boston to individuals “whose faithful leadership and dedication have made a lasting impact on the Black Catholic community in the archdiocese and beyond.” He received the award at the 32nd annual Bishop Healy Award Dinner held at Boston College High School in November.
“I’ve always prided myself on being present to others, not perfect,” said Fr. Davidson in a recent interview. “Through my formation in the Society of Jesus, I’ve learned what it means to be on the side of those who are marginalized. It’s something I’m passionate about. It’s something that I would love to spend the rest of my life doing. So, this award is not meant to elevate me. It is to strengthen those who will come behind me to do this work.” Read more.
Fr. Joseph McShane, SJ, former president of Fordham University and University of Scranton, was honored with the 2025 Deo et Patriae Award at Regis High School in New York City, his alma mater, for his decades of leadership in Jesuit education. His extensive career includes serving as dean and president across multiple institutions, guiding major fundraising campaigns and infrastructure growth, and supporting first-generation college students through the REACH program.
“My debt to Regis is enormous,” said Fr. McShane. “In fact, it is not wide of the mark to say that after my parents, Regis was the most formative influence in my life. And so the truth of the matter is I owe just about everything — everything I have and everything I have become — to Regis. Everything.” Read more.
Canisius High School in Buffalo, New York, inducted six Jesuits into its Distinguished Alumni Hall of Honor in November 2025: Jesuit Fathers James Miracky, ’77; Michael Tunney, ’76; James VanDyke, ’77; Michael Corcoran, ’76; Thomas Slon, ’75; and Jack Mattimore, ’76.
Responding to Challenges of the Opioid Crisis
Fr. Peter Clark, SJ, director of Saint Joseph’s University Institute of Clinical Bioethics, and students Fellows from the institute are supporting neighbors who are facing tough challenges as a result of the opioid crisis. They run a bi-weekly wound care clinic at Mother of Mercy House in Philadelphia, which provides shelter, food, and recovery services to individuals experiencing homelessness.
Fr. Peter Clark, SJ, director of the Institute of Clinical Bioethics at Saint Joseph’s University, and students from the Institute are running a bi-weekly wound care clinic for those facing some of the toughest challenges of the opioid crisis. pic.twitter.com/4jbF3czyHe
— Jesuits East (@JesuitsEast) December 8, 2025
Hosting more frequent clinics deepens relationships with patients. “People are coming back, which is good,” Fr. Clark said. “The trust factor is a huge issue.” Read more.
A Spiritual Farewell
Fr. Greg Goethals, SJ, former president of Loyola High School of Los Angeles, died November 24, 2025, in a New York City hospital, days after having a heart attack. He had just completed a cross-country road trip that became, unknowingly, his spiritual farewell to the people he loved. It was a pilgrimage of connection, gratitude and grace. Read more.
Appointments
New High School President
Fr. Matthew Stewart, SJ ’98, has been named the next president of St. Louis University High (SLUH). He will succeed Alan R. Carruthers on July 1, 2026. Fr. Stewart currently serves as principal of SLUH. After entering the Society of Jesus in 2009, Fr. Stewart served in a variety of other roles in Jesuit schools, including: adjunct professor at Saint Louis University, associate director of the Alum Service Corps, chaplain and teacher at Loyola Academy, board member of Arrupe Jesuit High, and associate university minister and faculty member at Regis University.
Inaugural Dean
Fr. Erick Berrelleza, SJ, has been named the inaugural Patti and Jonathan Kraft Family Dean of Messina College, a two-year program at Boston College for students from low-income backgrounds. The endowment follows a gift from Patti Kraft, a university trustee, and her husband to Boston College’s Soaring Higher Campaign. Fr. Berrelleza, founding den o the school, said, “I am honored to continue the mission-driven work of supporting students who are the first in their families to attend college as the inaugural Kraft Family Dean of Messina College.”
The Jesuit Who Used the Early Internet to Spread Ignatian Spirituality
When Fr. Andy Alexander, SJ, and Maureen McCann Waldron were working together in the Collaborative Ministry Office at Creighton University in the 1990s, they had an idea. The world had recently been introduced to a technological advance known as the Internet, and they were convinced in 1997 that it could be used to offer Ignatian spiritual resources.
Some people scoffed. “They told us the internet was a toy,” Fr. Alexander said. “It doesn’t belong in a university, and it doesn’t belong in spirituality.”
But the Jesuit and the Creighton alumna (BA ’75, MA ’98) persevered. At first, the Daily Reflections they posted online helped faculty and staff understand and contribute to Creighton’s mission. Ultimately, the website grew into a resource that receives millions of hits from around the world annually. Their innovation also led to what is believed to be the first online version of the movements of the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises, set up for weekly practice over 34 weeks.
“I am very grateful for the privilege of serving Creighton’s Online Ministries for its first 27 years,” Fr. Alexander said. “I’ve been consoled to see how, since I left Creighton, the site has been lovingly updated and continued by Cynthia Schmersal, vice president of Mission and Ministry.” Read more.
A Jesuit’s Life of Writing and Relationship-Building
Fr. Harvey Egan, SJ, professor emeritus at Boston College, has spent 65 years as a Jesuit fostering deep personal connections: He officiated weddings, baptized children and even helped grieve families of former students. He shifted from a prospective engineering career to theology and became a prolific writer of 19 theological books, seeing writing as both spiritual labor and challenge.
For Fr. Egan, the power to make a lasting impact on students has been one of the most meaningful aspects of his life as a Jesuit. “As a Jesuit priest, you not only teach them, but often you establish relationships.” he said. Read more.
Final Vows
Fr. F. Javier Díaz Díaz, SJ, professed final vows in the Society of Jesus at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California, on November 5, 2025. He serves at the cathedral as parochial vicar and as a physician for the Order of Malta Clinic in Oakland.
Fr. Sam Sawyer, SJ, editor-in-chief of America Media, professed final vows in the Society of Jesus at the Church of St. Francis Xavier in New York City on November 23, 2025.
Fr. Juan Pablo Marrufo del Toro, SJ, professed final vows in the Society of Jesus on November 29, 2025, at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Phoenix. Fr. Marrufo del Toro serves as a chaplain and science teacher at Brophy College Preparatory.
Fr. Aaron Pidel, SJ, and Fr. J. Patrick Hough, SJ, professed their final vows in the Society of Jesus on November 15, 2025, in the Chapel of the North American Martyrs at Jesuit High School of New Orleans. Fr. Pidel is a professor of fundamental theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome; this year, he also celebrates 25 years as a Jesuit. Fr. Hough is the director of Grand Coteau Retreats and executive director for advancement for the Central and Southern Province.
Fr. Jerome Hayes, SJ, professed final vows in the Society of Jesus on December 7, 2025, at St. Ignatius Church in San Francisco, where he serves as associate pastor. He also serves as minister for the Jesuit community at the University of San Francisco.
Fr. William Blazek, SJ, professed final vows on December 8, 2025, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, in the Our Lady of Montserat Chapel at Jerome Nadal Jesuit community in Omaha, Nebraska. Fr. Blazek is a confessor at The Cloisters on the Platte in Gretna, Nebraska.
